County Cup

Cheltenham U16s 50

Cirencester U16s 0

ALTHOUGH halfway through the season and well into the New Year, this was a first competitive fixture against a very strong Cheltenham side.

The first half of the campaign is dominated by county and district matches and unfortunately five Ciren players, having earned their places in representative sides from The Whiteway, have since been enticed away from the club.

Playing Cheltenham was therefore always going to be a tough ask.

Facing a strong wind, Cirencester were pinned in their own half for long periods, and despite some good defensive work, the hosts were always able to recycle possession, ultimately scoring number of tries thanks to some impressive play.

The visitors' cause was not helped by on-field injuries and falling foul of an unsympathetic referee as they often found any encouraging play stopped for infringement.

Ciren made a much brighter start to the second half, using the elements well, but despite being camped in the hosts' 22 they couldn’t quite force a score.

The hosts' defensive line tackling was resolute, sometimes a bit overzealous as shown by two desperate yellow cards.

Cirencester's huge effort duly took its toll and inevitably some players tired. With too few replacements to call on the hosts took advantage and scored a late flurry of tries to record a flattering win.